Last year we had a vacuum pump and motor go bad, our backup became our dedicated system halfway through the season. This summer we found two great deals on slightly used Busch pumps. The model 1144 was actually brand new, but its motor was only 3HP/1800RPM. We swapped it out with a new 5.5HP/3600RPM motor and it runs great. Both 1320 models were configured with integrated drives, setup for 480V/three-phase/4200RPM. We found that by using our own drive at 240V they can safely run at 3000RPM without overloading the motor, we’ll use these as-is.

Instead of leaving these pumps in storage for later use, we’re going to hook them up in three of our four sugar bushes. The additional pumping capacity will raise our vacuum levels during heavy sap runs where the trees outgas too much air. The pumps can then be turned off during freeze ups to save power. If any of our pumps fail in the future then the second pump will get us through the season at the same vacuum level we’ve had each of the past eight seasons.

One of the local non-profit organizations we support is the Foundation for Sustainable Forests, based out of Spartansburg PA. Here’s a quick description of what they do and a link to their site

“As a nonprofit land trust, the Foundation for Sustainable Forests protects and stewards over 2,300 acres of working woodlands through direct ownership or a conservation easement with a forest management component. These lands serve the community in perpetuity- supporting the rural economy through sustainable forestry and providing critical services such as clean air and water, and recreational opportunities for the public to enjoy.  As part of our commitment to the community, our properties remain on the tax rolls and support rural jobs in the sustainable timber and land stewardship industry.   ”

Visit foundationforsustainableforests.org

We’re trying something new for the 2024 season on our 3000 tap Faust Road sugar bush. The spout on the top is what we typically use, a simple 90° polycarbonate design. The bottom spout has two new features. First, the actual part that goes into the tree is shorter and barbed. Sap diffuses slowly between horizontal rings, and the outside rings of the tree have the most sap/sugar. The shorter we hammer it in the more sugar we collect. Second, the 90° turn has a radius now, which should decrease turbulence and flow/pressure loss. Personally I think the first feature will result in large gains, however I’m not convinced that the flow rate coming out of a tree is high enough to see any benefits from a curved radius. The Proctor center at UVM has tested these spouts for three years now with promising results, hopefully we can replicate this year and switch over completely for 2025! We also have a few new elbows to try with the curved radius.